Hungarian Heritage Review, 1988 (17. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1988-06-01 / 6. szám
^Milestones <3ln Hungarian jMistor^- by -ROGER B. GOODMAN Part Twenty-Seven: A ROYAL LOVE STORY In Hungary’s long and tumultuous history, there have been few great royal romances. No tales like that of Edward of England and his Miss Simpson that kept the public alive with rumor, gossip and excitement. But there was one romantic episode in Hungary which delighted the people and made a place in history for representatives of two of the greatest families in the land — Ilona Zrínyi and Imre Thököly, known as the “Kuruc King.” But, as is the case in all great romances involving Kings and Queens, the love affair was played against a background of political intrigue, plotting and warfare. The Wesselényi Conspiracy After the infamous Treaty of Vasvar (1664), as a result of which Hungary lost much of what it had gained through its most recent triumphs over the Turks, a group of members of some of the nation’s most prominent families became involved in a plan to break away from the Empire, and, with the help of either the French or the Turks, to reestablish an independent Hungary. This plot was discovered, and three of its leaders were executed: Peter Zrínyi, brother of Miklós; Ferenc Frangepan, and Ferenc Nasdasdy. Ferenc Rákóczi I was pardoned after he paid an enormous ransom. The smashing of this conspiracy led to a resurgence of repression and terror, and thousands of families fled Hungary for the relative safety of Transylvania. Among the refugees were he was able to win support from Louis XIV of France, the Sun King. The French, of course, were happy to see an inconvenience or harm that might weaken the strength of the Habsburgs. In addition the Turks backed Thököly. Indeed, in 1682, they offered him the Crown of Hungary. This the sage Thököly did not accept. 1682 — Year of Triumph Thököly at this time was at the height of his power and fame. Not only was he successful on the battlefield and at the table of diplomacy, but he won the hand of the lovely Ilona Zrínyi. This lady, still young and beautiful, was heiress to all the vast Rákóczi estates. She had fallen in love with the dashing Thököly despite the fact that she was almost fifteen years older than he. And the marriage of these two delighted the hearts and stirred the souls of the entire nation. But, like the famous star-crossed lovers in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”, Imre and Ilona were fated to tread a perilous and difficult path. Hard Times In 1683, recognizing the immense strength and the success Thököly had had against them, the Habsburg Government in Vienna tried to ease tensions by promising to redress all the grievances it had wrought upon Hungary. It also promised to reinstitute the Constitution for Hungary. While these measures appeared to satisfy many —continued next page Imre Thököly, the “kuruc king.” two boys destined to loom large in Hungarian history: Imre Thököly, son of István Thököly, and Ferenc Rákóczi, who had been three months old when his father, Ferenc Rákóczi I died. The senior Rákóczi had been the husband of the most famous of Hungarian beauties, Ilona Zrínyi. Imre Thököly, “Kuruc King” In 1680 Imre Thököly was the elected leader of the bujdosok, the guerrilla fighters against the Habsburg armies. They had had little success in their campaigning until Thököly took charge. Under his daring and inspired command, the cause of the bujdosok became a truly national issue. The rebellious forces soon became a real threat to the Imperialists; at this time the bujdosok name was changed to “kurucok”, which stems from the word meaning “cross”. Thus they might be said to have become Crusaders for the cause of Hungary. Thököly led his armies from success to success, and soon he was able to occupy most of northern Hungary. He defeated some of the top generals sent against him, and he seized stronghold after stronghold. In addition, JUNE 1988 HUNGARIAN HERITAGE REVIEW 13
